ATLANTIC CITY – John Lineker won’t cut in line for a shot at UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC), because the UFC’s promotional machine just switched on for title contender Chris Cariaso (17-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC).

It was easy to see why an exception might be made for Lineker (24-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the wake of his “Fight of the Night” performance opposite Alptekin Ozkilic (9-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 45 event, but according to UFC rep Dave Sholler, tickets went on sale Wednesday for UFC 177, which is co-headlined by Johnson vs. Cariaso.

“That’s the fight – Cariaso has the fight,” Sholler told MMAjunkie at UFC Fight Night 45’s post-event press conference. “But I’ll tell you what: Lineker looked incredible tonight. John’s biggest battle hasn’t so much been the guys in the octagon. It’s been the scale, and he went out there and made weight easy.”

Skepticism accompanied Lineker’s weigh-in for the latest bout, as the Brazilian slugger’s standout performances have been shadowed by three fights in which he missed weight. Heading into his FOX Sports 1-televised meeting with Ozkilic at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, Lineker said he fixed the problems and would be on target. But until he actually stepped on the scale, questions remained.

Lineker weighed in Tuesday at a cool 125.5 pounds, and the fight was on.

“He’s right there,” Sholler said. “You talk about (UFC Fight Night 46) later this weekend with (Brad) Pickett and (Ian) McCall, and now (Lineker) is in the mix. That division got really, really interesting tonight.”

The lack of struggle on the scale clearly reflected in Lineker’s performance. He showed no signs of slowing down despite several bouts of frenzied punch-outs with Ozkilic, who showed remarkable resilience until a stiff combo put him away in the waning seconds of the third and final frame.

A $50,000 bonus check went to Lineker and Ozkilic, who were praised on Twitter by UFC President Dana White. Despite those accolades, though, Lineker will need to wait for the promotion’s word on what’s next in his career.

Although Cariaso underwhelmed many MMA observers, he is the UFC’s choice for No. 1 contender. UFC 177 takes place Aug. 30 at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, Calif., and is headlined by a bantamweight title rematch between new champ T.J. Dillashaw and recently deposed kingpin Renan Barao.

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